Physiotherapy
by 9E-tan
Summary: She was never favored by Lady Luck. The roulette ball rolls precariously between the creepy physiotherapist with mystical powers, and the temperamental prefect with anger management issues. Sometimes she wonders which of the three really needs therapy... MukuroxOCxHibari
1. Downfall of Pride

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn...**

Pairing: AU MukuroxOCxHibari

Genre: Romance/ Drama/ Fantasy

* * *

_ Downfall of pride_

_ ._

_._

_._

Sun-burnt hair flopped limply upon her shoulders. Feeling the gentle spring breeze play with the short, frizzled strands, the lone wanderer trudged along the worn forest path.

What seemed like aimless wandering in the midst of the old growth led to a small clearing, surrounded by an intricately woven set of foliage. Brushing aside the drooping leaves of a willow tree, the young girl carefully made her way to an old wooden swing tied to one of its branches. Her calloused palms gripped the rusted chains, feeling the nostalgic comfort, before settling down on the worn seat.

Slowly, she swung back and forth, closing her eyes as she stared listlessly into the sky.

* * *

"_Osu!" Panting behind her metal bars of her mask, a long female brandished her wooden shinai* before her opponent. Furiously, she blinked away the sweat that trickled down her forehead. _

_The gymnasium thrummed with energy.  
_

_Around her, the crowd roared with enthusiasm, __ clapping their hands as they leaned forward, engrossed in the match before them. Nearer, in kneeling positions close to the taped boundaries,_ a row of young female students remained silent, tense- respectful of the sacredness of the match.  


_This was the moment they had been training for._

_She was Asuka Kirihara, captain of the all-girl's kendo club of Namimori High. Having carved out her name in the ranks with her fiery passion and endless perseverance, Asuka was not about to let the club's efforts go to waste. She was proud of nurturing the girls, supervising their growth, guiding them through hardships and sorrow-_

_-and here they were, holding their stand at the final match to grasp the title of the Junior Championships for the first time in Namimori history._

"_Captain!"  
_

_From the side, Asuka heard her vice-captain shout- even after her reprimanding that spectators during a match must remain quiet._

_"We trust you!"_

_She adjusted the grip on her shinai._

_It was already over the two-minute limit that was usually placed for a shiai*- the equal point placing forced upon both teams a tense tie-breaker. The Junior Championship Cup was left in the hands of the captains- the Generals- yet neither captain was letting their guard down as they continued to circle each other. _

_For the mixed gender tournament, it was tedious work to climb up to a respectable stage of acknowledgement for their brand new team. The burden to represent their tears and sweat never seemed as heavily pressed upon her shoulders as before._

"_Tired already, Kirihara-san?"  
_

_Across from her, the captain of the opposing team- Yamamoto Takeshi- grinned. _

_She lunged in response, irked at his carefree attitude. _

_**He** was a genius- of hard work, and hidden talent. _

_Asuka acknowledged his skill- quite grudgingly- upon seeing the male captain practice alone in the school dojo. _

Silent and deadly.

_As much as she despised his air-headed behaviour, there was no denying that sudden overwhelming pressure that seemed to choke her lungs, freezing before the sudden hardness of his amber eyes-  
_

**_There!_**

_It was a blur of a moment as Asuka__ knocked aside Yamamoto's shinai, lunging forward with a powerful thrust from her left leg as she aimed for a clear strike to the men*. In fluid motion, her opponent blocked the strike- the counter much stronger, forcing her shinai to bounce back in recoil.  
_

_An excited cheer arose from the specatators, yet her teammates only froze with tension._

_Immediately acting for the rebound, Asuka raised her shinai to hit the cote-men*- yet again! -skillfully countered. _

Looking back, she would have chastised herself for letting the pressure get to her- but the next chain of events seemed almost unreal.

_The only thing resounding in her head was _

_'Can't give up-'_

_The desperate twist and shuffle of feet, followed by Yamamoto's shocked expression and half-second late reaction-_

_"-...!" _

_Asuka gasped, her pupils dilating at the sudden burst of pain that tore through her muscles. With a silent scream, she crumpled onto the floor before the recovering male captain. _

_What could describe the moment was an erractic mix of signals and emotions, jarred within her head__. The arena was filled with panicked shouts of concern and worry, with the jumble of feet rushing towards her while she lay on the ground, disoriented by the chaos and pain._

_The judges crossed the flags, signalling the end of the match. _

_"No..." She wanted to shout, scream, anything to say that she could continue the match, but it was too late; a defaulted win was awarded to the other team._

_She could hear her teammates hold down their tears, knowing it would upset their captain- no, what were they doing, they should be mad-  
_

_The throbbing pain grew on both sides of her legs, yet she did not know what hurt her more- the pain of losing, of disappointment, and letting down her teammates. _

_Asuka closed her eyes. She couldn't cry now; she was the captain, and had apologies to make, inspiration to spark within her teammates-_

_The medics crowded around her, grabbing her legs despite her pained yell._

_Grim faces, the frown on the creases of their mouths, the tears on her friend's faces…_

"_Her shin splints have gotten worse than I've thought. Asuka Kirihara can no longer participate in kendo."_

_Impossible._

_And her pride as a captain, her hard-worked passion, her everything- her shinai fell onto the hardwood floor with a clatter, and everything was dark.  
_

* * *

It was childish of her to be sulking alone.

And yet- she could not show such poor spirit before her teammates; they deserved better. What was she doing as a role model?

There was still another opportunity for the Namimori female kendo club to win the Junior Championships, but that would be in the next two years; by then, she would have graduated and would not be able to witness the hard work of her underclassmen by their side. That, perhaps, was what procured the bitter aftertaste in her mouth after the tournament. It hurt as much as knowing she could not... She grit her teeth.

Scoffing at her blatant refusal to acknowledge the truth, Asuka traced letters onto the dirt ground- anything to take her mind off of her bitter mood.

"If you're contemplating suicide, please do it somewhere else. I'm rather fond of this little area in the woods- and not so fond of the local police."

A lilting voice startled Asuka from her reverie, causing her to painfully buck from the wooden seat of the swing.

She whipped around, narrowing her eyes as she looked towards the source of the voice. Whoever had managed to sneak up behind her was quiet and gave no presence. How light were his footsteps for him to make no sound upon the forest floor?

Gripping onto the wooden seat, she carefully stood up from the ground. "What do you want?"

"Ah, direct and to the point. How refreshing."

"..." Asuka remained silent. Dusting off her clothing, she made to leave the clearing. As if it wasn't enough to have an accident at the shiai, her moment of therapeutic brooding was ruined by a stranger with a smart mouth. Perhaps it was fate's will that a captain should never have any emotions other than an optimistic perspective of life.

"My, did your parents never teach you that it's rude to leave when someone is trying to talk to you?" The rustling of leaves behind her caught her attention. As much as she was bothered by the enigmatic stranger, there was always a portion of her curiosity that could not be left alone to its whims.

Coming to a grinding halt, she slowly turned around to catch sight of the man.

"No need."

Asuka froze as she felt a cool breath hit the back of her neck; how did he step behind of her without her notice?

"Hmm, you look as ugly as my frog apprentice with your mouth hanging wide open. How unsightly."

Confused more than offended, Asuka slowly turned around, her hands slowly flexing into tight fists. "What do you want?" She repeated.

And froze once again.

Before her was a tall man, dressed in an inconspicuous leather coat, with matching leather gloves. She wondered about the transition from winter colors to spring, but made no mention of the stranger's odd choice of clothing.

What really threw her off, however, was the man's strange hair style. Reminiscent of a certain tropical fruit that was impossible to cut on her own-

_"Pineapple?" _

Oops. She didn't mean to say it out loud.

Chuckling with amusement, the man's right eye flickered red. Taken aback by the sudden color change, Asuka squinted, rubbing her eyes- what kind of person would have hetero-chromatic eyes? However, as she removed her hands to inspect the odd individual, the change had gone as soon as it had appeared.

Two deep blue eyes stared back.

"Openly a voyeur, now are we?"

"..."

In the few moments of observation, Asuka's logic pieced together the following rationale:

_This guy is a waste of time._

"Have a nice day." She turned to leave the strange man alone before more unsettling matters continued.

"You're very eager to sign your own death warrant, Asuka." Though her back was turned from the stranger, her experienced ears could pick up the sound of metal.

And he even knew her name, too.

_Now would be a good time to run._

However, as her muscles tensed for a mad sprint from the clearing, the teenager found to her dismay that her feet remained rooted to the ground.

It would be an understatement to say Asuka Kirihara was highly uncomfortable with this situation.

The man hummed with thought. "It's a little hard to believe that the Vongola has interest in killing you, child."

_What?_

Her breath hitched as the psychopathic stranger prodded her cheeks with a pronged weapon- most likely a trident- and the sinking feeling-

And yet, even before she could pose the question of the intrusion of a third party with ambitions to murder her, the strange paralysis that locked her feet faded, followed by a sharp prickling sensation that spread through her legs. Along with the receding numbness was the illegal weapon that somehow made its way unnoticed by the local (useless) police.

The stranger spoke once again.

"It's not time yet- not now, I would think," he mused to himself, tracing the metal spikes of his trident. Feeling sick, Asuka slowly backed away from her initial position. Then, letting loose the queerest laughter the female captain had ever heard in her short life of 17 years, the man continued, "I'll be watching you, little captain."

Then, with a snap of his fingers, the man's entirety disappeared without a trace.

Asuka blinked rapidly. Over the short amount of time, a strange man had appeared without a sound, only to disappear just as quickly. As she snapped out of her stupor, the young girl traced the spot where she had last spotted the man. Neither a footprint nor an upset in the terrain remained; it was as if everything was a mere illusion.

Shaking her head in vain effort to clear her mind, Asuka tried to calm her frantically beating heart which had suddenly started to catch up to her mentality. Licking her parched lips, she rose from the ground and hastily headed back home, hoping to avoid any further troublesome encounters with the supernatural psychopathic men.

* * *

**A/N: **Don't lose hope, my little ones- chapters will be updated in the coming summer months. The only thing keeping me going is the other authors and their hard work- and of course, your encouragements as well.

-9e-tan-

**Terms:**

_Shinai: Wooden sword used in kendo._

_Shiai: A match in a tournament._

_Men: Head- called for a point when the shinai hits the head._

_Cote-men: A hit aimed near the side of the head at an angle._

_Cote: Wrist- called for a point when the shinai hits the right wrist._


	2. Sleeping Beauty

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. **

**Pairing:** AU MukuroxOCxHibari

**Genre:** Drama/Romance/Fantasy

**A/N:** Was going to update a new chapter but I realized I totally forgot what direction I was going to take this thing. Thus, I present you a revised chapter with vows to solidly plan whatever I'm going to write. -signing out- (I don't remember how to write Mukuro or Hibari anymore /sob)

* * *

_Sleeping Beauty  
_

_._

_._

_._

_Pain._

Asuka opened her eyes, blinking from the light dizzy spell that wavered over her.

_Where was she?_

There was a sense of heaviness that pressed upon her limbs, spread in such a manner that she could not pinpoint the exact location of the constant throbbing. As her senses started to cooperate with the rest of her body, she picked up the odd laughter that seemed to sink in her stomach- an anchor to the foreboding reality.

"Pineap- _ugh!_"

She winced as a hot, piercing sensation seared through her ribs, knocking the breath from her lungs.

"Careful, little captain." A finger traced along Asuka's face, pausing slightly to stop at the yellowing bruise on her cheek. "Wouldn't want to mar that pretty face further, hmm?"

_She couldn't piece together anything at the disoriented state she was in._

Groaning (followed by a strangled cough), she eased herself up from the unfortunate position of resting on the stranger's knees. The man made no move to assist her struggles- rather, he chuckled with amusement at her contorted facial expressions.

"Your common behaviour is quite charming, little captain."

Asuka ignored the provocative comment as she gently rubbed the blooming purple-yellow on her face. "Where are we?"

The tropical fruit-hair closed his eyes. Gesturing at the surrounding with a wave of his hand, he mused, "We are in a world separate from reality… in which illusions are the truth."

_Well, that explained a lot of things._

It sounded a lot like radical subjectivism, but there was no hiding the hint of curiosity stirring within her. Scowling at the childish impulse, she glanced around at her surroundings.

To her disappointment, there was nothing out of the ordinary other than a normal meadow- but who was she to talk? She was dealing with a man who could disappear from sight at will by the mere snapping of fingers.

"...When can we return back to reality?"

"Oya? Don't you want a little adventure, little one?" The man raised an eyebrow, waving his hand once more- out of thin air, a snowy owl circled above their heads. "I know the thirst for imagination in you exists."

She stared at the man pointedly- only to be rebuffed with the strange laugh once more.

Asuka sighed.

The pounding pain that jarred her thoughts was of no use- and with the addition to that, the sudden change of environment was also unfavorable.

For once- _and she could not believe the very thought was occurring inside her head-_ she wanted routine.

Structure.

Normality.

Non-chaotic-

Automatically, she froze-

-something in her gut greatly disliked the direction of her thoughts.

* * *

_"Disassemble."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"I don't like to repeat myself." _

_The Namimori Middle prefect armband fluttered in the wind. Somehow, dramatically, every time he wore the school jacket on his shoulders- as if it was the instrument of the clouds to summon the winds at will. Asuka would have laughed if not for the serious circumstance- her sense of humor was terrible, anyway.  
_

_Instead, she stared incredulously at the prefect who stood before her, impassively, his tonfa gleaming in the sun light as he spared a disapproving glance towards the kendoka members. _

_"A disorganized club with no results must be rooted out from tarnishing the school reputation." _

_Followed by his remark, one of the Disciplinary Club members held the form of resignation before her. _

_"The Namimori Women's Kendo Club has only started, Prefect Hibari. I see no reason why you're discouraging its growth." _

_The corner of his lips started upwards- a twisted hint of amusement. "Growth? You overestimate yourselves, herbivore." He approached her, his steel gaze unmoving as he reveled in the thick tension in the air.  
_

_Asuka gripped tighter on her shinai. "I believe your judgement is unfair, Prefect."_

_"Unfair?" He drew his tonfa, sparing a snort of disdain as one of their youngest, newest member whimpered. __"The strong dictate the rules._"

_Hibari pressed the metal rod against her collarbone, none too gently. "Opposing me when you cannot defend your claims is a waste of time."_

_"There are other strengths." She gripped onto the metal bruising her body with its pressure. "A minor injury will not be an obstacle."_

_"Ho." His eyebrows quirked with intrigue before he backed off slowly. His mood was always changing, faster than the whims of the weather. "Prove it."_

_No less than a second had passed since the words left his mouth, the prefect procured his other tonfa and smashed the side of Asuka's ribs. Behind her, her teammates started with indignant cries; adrenaline roared in her veins as she bit her tongue to override the crushing pain._

_**"No!"** _

_The girls froze, hesitant before their captain._

_____Grabbing hold of the handle of her shinai, she countered the next blow_."Respect the match." She shot a lopsided smile at the club members- they could not afford to give the Prefect any more reasons to disband their team.

___The prefect, seemingly understanding her intentions, made no move to chase after the reluctant girls; the Disciplinary club members stood like an impassive wall before her._

_In all honesty, Asuka was glad- both prefect and captain knew the fight was short._

_Each counter shaved off splinters as metal met wood; the brutality of his swings could be felt as her wrist gave way to the overpowering strength. Pain exploded throughout her head when the final hit of the tonfa caught the side of her face; it was all she could do not to writhe in pain before the prefect._

_As the one-sided match was over, Hibari turned away from the girl with disinterest. Feeling irked from the lack of respect, yet knowing not to cross the line, Asuka bit her tongue with rolling anger._

_"I have yet to see this strength you speak of." Surprised, she stared after the prefect as he withdrew his weapons. "The herbivore's habitual action of putting on airs?"_

_Slowly, Asuka wiped the blood from her mouth. "Sometimes all we can do is have faith."_

_For a moment, it seemed as if the prefect was considering her words- but Hibari merely turned around, his slate eyes narrowed with unreadable emotion._

_"Empty words from the defeated." _

_The letter of resignation lay on the ground, tumbling from the wind across the school yard. Sighing as she rubbed her temples, Asuka looked into the vast, blue sky-  
_

_-then everything faded to black._

* * *

"Would you wake up with a kiss?" The velvet voice of pineapple-hair dragged Asuka from her reverie.

"...Don't remember any princess waking up all bruised and battered..." Asuka mumbled.

He made no reply, but a small, knowing smirk crossed his features.

"Do I get an explanation for your bringing me here?" She gestured around their peaceful surroundings.

"Has it ever occurred to you that you may be the creator of this realm?" The man's eye flickered red once again- Asuka gave him a deadpan stare. Despite her souring expression, he continued, "Your narrow mind might hold surprises. I could help you train them, you know..." Her eyes followed the movements of his hand as they caressed the tip of her hair. Her eyes widened as the short tresses lengthened, falling into a silky tumble behind her back.

She tugged at the strands, holding her breath in anticipation.

"It's..." She struggled for the word to describe her thoughts. "It's... an illusion."

"The truth, if you'd like." His eyes crinkled with laughter. "I could get rid of your bruises and pain. Anything is possible in this world."

"I have to go home before curfew, please."

The stranger shook his head slightly, as if in mock disappointment. Then, he snapped his fingers before her eyes.

Asuka held back a surprised gasp as all the colors around her seemed to blend into one- the nauseating need to vomit rose from her stomach as the ground she sat upon seemed to tip over. The strange sensation faded away in a few seconds, however- as she felt her body connect with a sturdy, plush mattress.

Or rather, she was sitting on a-

"Infirmary bed?"

Immediately, she checked her new surroundings; she was situated by a large, wooden door of this quaint little room. The walls were painted light blue, as if to lull one to relaxation- with curtains of warm grey softening the bright glare of the afternoon sun that streamed through a small window. A rectangular metal plaque that read "Mukuro Rokudo- Physiotherapist" rested on an oak table in front of the bed.

Asuka blanched.

"You're a physiotherapist?" She turned to face the man- Mukuro Rokudo- with a tone of incredulity. Her brown eyes widened at the thought of all the possible scenarios that could have happened. Was she kidnapped? Did anyone know? What was the whole magic thing about-

As if he could read her thoughts, Mukuro chuckled with amusement. "A little too much for your stagnant mind to handle, little captain?"

"I think there's a firm line between imagination and insanity, Mukuro-san."

"Hmm, that's debatable, little one."

"That's lovely, doctor." The kendoka captain felt for her wristwatch. Looking down, she checked the time- 4:00pm.

_Damn, she was late._

"My mother will be furious. If you would excuse me, 'doctor'-"

Before she could stand up, a thick vine wrapped across her thighs, effectively locking her down on the mattress. Struggling between whether to be shocked from the sudden magicked plant, or angered from being restrained against her will, Asuka glanced sharply at the self-proclaimed physiotherapist.

"This had better be fast and good, Mukuro."

Mukuro laughed. "I'm told I'm very good with my hands." He rose from his seat and approached the bedridden girl. "All jesting aside, I'm afraid we're in a bit of a predicament, young one." Touching the strands of her hair, the physiotherapist dropped his previously playful tone.

"Yesterday, you were supposed to have been killed. Unfortunately, things haven't happened the way it should have been, and now we have some unpleasant company tracking us down." He suddenly gripped tightly on the Asuka's hair, eliciting an indignant grunt of pain. "If our hunters manage to get their hands on you, luck will not be on your side of the roulette."

"Que sera, sera."

"There would have been no future tense," the man continued, "had it not been a simple intervention by chance." Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a silver key. "Your naive little head would have been filled with holes." He made a playful motion of cocking a gun barrel with the small token.

"I'm not interested in whatever bargain you have, Mukuro." She waved away the intruding key with a hand. "What happens will happen. If fate deems it so, then it'll happen."

Strangely enough, the answer seemed to excite the strange man. "Empty words from the ignorant."

Asuka sighed. "I've been asking you questions so far, which you won't answer. I don't think that counts as being ignorant, but if you're not giving me answers, I'm wasting my time here." Tugging at the vine that strapped her to the bed, she met Mukuro's gaze with a leveled stare. "Do you mind?"

There was a stretch of silence as brown clashed with blue.

Finally, with a chuckle of amusement, Mukuro leaned against the wooden table and snapped his fingers. The vines erupted into flames- which surprisingly did not burn her. "It's a nice thing to be simple, little captain." He twirled the key around his finger, then conjured a leather string. Slipping the key through the string, the physiotherapist held out the necklace to the girl."In case you regret your choice, Asuka Kirihara- my offer still stands."

Asuka stared at the key with suspicion. "I don't take things from strangers."

Mukuro grinned at her statement. "We won't be, princess- as long as you stay alive for our next tea party."

"Thank you for the concern, but I'd rather we stay strangers." Bowing curtly, she hastily stalked out of the room.

Her scathing remark was met with the physiotherapist's haunting laughter.

When she stepped out of the door of the clinic, she forgot in the midst of her irritation to ask for directions to her house. Biting her lips while contemplating on whether to step down on her pride to ask the (mentally unstable) physiotherapist, she turned around to reach for the door.

For the upteenth time of the day, her eyes widened in shock.

The door no longer existed.

And neither did the building.

Stepping back, she realized that she was standing in front of the tall hedge dividing her house from their neighbors; rubbing her aching temples, she brushed aside the confusion as mere hallucinations of her tired mind.

Walking towards the steps of their front porch, the sinking feeling in her stomach grew- if there was a phrase to describe her circumstance, it would be:

_From the oven to the frying pan._

"Mukuro, may all your bacon burn."


End file.
